The Role of Lignite in Türkiye's Energy Policy and Its Effects on Health

Türkiye is a country with limited energy resources. In this context, lignite stands out as a significant fossil fuel source due to its widespread reserves. With industrialization, urbanization, and technological advancements, energy demand continues to rise daily. Turkey’s high dependence on imports to meet this growing energy demand makes lignite a meaningful reserve among domestic sources. However, due to its high moisture and ash content, lignite has low energy value and imposes heavy environmental impacts.

Türkiye possesses approximately 11.5 billion tons of lignite reserves, accounting for 5.9% of global reserves and ranking 14th worldwide. These reserves are spread across the country, with major basins located in regions such as Soma (Manisa), Tunçbilek, Seyitömer (Kütahya), Çeltek (Amasya), and Karapınar (Konya). However, only 13.9% of these reserves have a moisture content low enough to be used directly without drying.

Lignite is widely used in thermal power plants. In Türkiye, 16 of the 27 coal-fired thermal power plants burn lignite, and 10.4 GW out of the total 19.9 GW of coal-based installed capacity—52%—is derived from lignite. However, due to its low energy density, 3.4 times more lignite must be burned than coal to produce the same amount of energy. This situation not only creates efficiency problems but also lays the groundwork for serious environmental and health issues.

According to a report published by HEAL, lignite power plants emit toxic substances such as particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), heavy metals, and mercury. These pollutants can cause health problems thousands of kilometers away through air transport. In Europe, it has been determined that the vast majority of the approximately 22,900 premature deaths annually caused by coal-fired power plants are linked to lignite.

The main health effects of lignite-related air pollution include:

• Deterioration of lung function and increased incidence of COPD and asthma attacks,
• Heart rhythm disorders and hypertension,
• Low birth weight, preterm birth, and developmental disorders,
• Neurological effects (dementia, attention disorders).

According to data released by the Turkish Coal Enterprises Institution, Türkiye’s energy policies aim to increase domestic production based on local resources. However, the sustainability of these policies necessitates consideration of environmental and health impacts. HEAL and experts recommend closing all coal-fired thermal power plants by 2030, canceling new plant projects, and redirecting incentives toward renewable energy.

Although lignite is an important resource for Türkiye’s energy supply security, its low energy efficiency and high environmental cost make it an unsustainable option in the long term. Considering its severe health impacts, climate change mitigation goals, and international environmental obligations, a transition from lignite to cleaner and renewable energy sources in electricity generation is inevitable.

In my view, Türkiye’s lignite-based energy strategy has ceased to be a viable path. Given the immense potential of renewable energy sources, I do not consider continued investment in lignite environmentally or ethically justifiable. I believe that a bold and decisive transformation in energy policy must no longer be delayed.